Disclaimer: I own nothing, except my own creations.

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Ignoring the question and physically turning herself away from Patrick Jane, Teresa Lisbon pulled her jacket over her chest as she asked the question once again. 'What have we got?'

Van Pelt opened her mouth to recommence her description of material facts, but she didn't get a word out as Jane stepped forward with a bored look on his face as he looked at the team one by one – noting Rigsby's questioning look, van Pelt's slightly annoyed look, Cho's blank look and Lisbon's exasperated look – before he turned and began to point at various people in turn.

'The father's having an affair...

'The daughter is hiding something – maybe a pregnancy – and is not sure how to tell her parents, though I really should say parent, seeing as there is only one left...

'The boy resents the fact that his younger brother gets more attention than he does...

'And the youngest kid is quite possible a budding serial killer,' concluded Jane as he turned back to the team. 'Worth keeping an eye on him for the coming years.'

'Are you done with the showing off yet?' scoffed Lisbon. She could only hope.

'The Sherriff resents the fact a woman is leading this CBI team...

'Van Pelt has somewhere else she needs to be... though I wouldn't worry too much Rigsby...

'Cho has forgotten something...

'And you... No... The person standing over near the Lombard family now is a reporter masquerading as a cop...

'And I'm hungry. I might just step out and grab a bite,' finished Jane with a smug grin plastered on his face. 'Excuse me.' The last two words were tacked on because at that moment Lisbon had grabbed his arm painfully and pulled him away – though it must be noted that it was after giving Rigsby the order to escort the reporter from the premises. She pulls him a short distance to the side before she flies around to face him. 'What in God's name are you doing?'

'I'm not doing anything in God's name,' Jane corrected her as he raised a finger in her direction, but swiftly pulled it back as he wouldn't put it beyond her to bite it.

'Jane,' she ground out. 'Today is really not the day. Stop it.'

He ignores her as he reaches out and touches the arm of a man in uniform walking by. 'Buy the car,' Jane suggests with a nod before he removed his hand. 'It will help.' As the man shot him a strange look and walked off, Lisbon raised a hand to her head as if in pain. 'You did not just say that.'

Jane looked at her for a moment. 'You're right. I didn't.'

She stared at him for a moment longer before he shifted unsteadily in her gaze. 'We are going to interview the Lombard family and you are going to be on your very best behaviour. Got it?'

'Got it!' he agreed with a smile. As Lisbon turned to walk up to the house he pulled his crossed fingers out from behind his back and parted them. 'I saw that Jane.'

'Damn,' called Jane as he scurried to her side, van Pelt and Cho joining them as they made their way over to the Lombard family.

As they got closer, a little boy ran forward with a butter-wouldn't-melt-in-my-mouth countenance as he opened up his big blue eyes and looked up at them. 'Hi my name's Henk. Are you the cops?'

'Yeah honey we are,' said van Pelt dropping down to his level. 'We need to speak with your Daddy.'

'Okay,' piped up the little boy as he grabbed van Pelt's arm and pulled her over to his siblings and father. 'Look Daddy! The cops are here.'

Rigsby stepped back as Lisbon stepped forward and apologised for their loss and Jane took stock of the family members before him: Hugh Lombard looked genuinely distressed, fifteen year old Hannah Lombard was definitely hiding something behind her defiant exterior, twelve year old Horatio Lombard was keeping everything buried down deep inside and Jane knew without a doubt that the eight year old 'I'm-so-innocent' Henk Lombard was anything but.

'Who found the body?' asked Lisbon.

'I did,' said Horatio shortly.

'Where was it?' encouraged Lisbon as the boy looked at her sullenly. 'In the kitchen.'

'What did you do?' pressed Lisbon.

'Flipped it.' God getting information from the kid was harder than getting answers out of Jane sometimes - and that said something. 'And then?'

'Checked if Mum was still breathing,' said the teenager folding his arms over his chest as he looked to the ground and scuffed the pavements with his shoe. 'She wasn't.'

Lisbon then moved onto the husband. 'When was the last time you saw your wife Mr Lombard?'

'Last night,' said the man, tears pooling in his eyes. 'Well, yesterday morning really, but I spoke to her on the phone last night. She was out late.'

'When did you last see your mother Horatio?' posed Jane, flipping attention back to the boy as Lisbon sent him a quick look.

'Yesterday when Mum picked up Hannah from boarding school and brought her home,' Horatio responded bewilderedly. 'I went...'

'Home?' snorted Hannah making her presence known as she stepped forward. 'My real home's in that boarding school. Not this stupid place with you stupid people.'

'Hannah...' warned Hugh as the girl crossed her arms over her chest.

'You said your wife was out late,' questioned Lisbon. 'What was she doing?'

'Working. She was working late,' responded Hugh as Hannah snorted next to him.

'If you call that working.' Shaking off the hand that her father placed on her shoulder, Hannah focussed her angry glare on them. 'She was probably out with that guy she 'works' with.'

'Guy?' repeated Lisbon as Hannah continued to talk. 'Yeah. Matt Burrie.'

'How would you know that?' asked Jane as he stepped into her line of sight. 'You've been at boarding school for the past two and a half months.'

'I know these things,' fudged the teenager, but he didn't miss the shift of her eyes to the side. 'I know what she's been up to.'

'Hannah...' sighed her father.

'What?' spat the teenager back. 'You knew she was sleeping with him.'

'Hannah. Your mother was not having an affair,' said Hugh as he grasped her shoulders and looked into his daughter's face. He wasn't there long as his face spun around swiftly at Jane's next words. 'But you were, weren't you Hugh?'

'Excuse me!' said Hugh in an offended tone as both Hannah and Lisbon reacted instantly. 'Daddy?' 'Jane!'

Thanking the Lombard family for their time, Lisbon ushers the team away, Jane just behind her before he turns back to the grieving family. 'Just one last question. Who is your favourite brother Hannah?'

The teenager looked at him in confusion. 'Umm...'

'What kind of a question is that?' asked Hugh Lombard angrily as he stepped in front of his daughter.

'Jane, let's go,' gritted the newly returned Lisbon.

'It's Henk right?' said Jane with a knowing grin. With Lisbon pulling on his arm, he smiled his farewell as Horatio glared at him and Henk raised his hand and cheerily waved at them. 'Bye!'

Lisbon orders Rigsby and van Pelt to visit Glynis Lombard's workplace, whilst Cho is sent to bring in Matt Burrie for a 'friendly' chat. As the three agents depart, Jane rubs his hands together and steps around Lisbon. 'Let's go see the neighbour shall we?'

'What neighbour?'

'The same one that's had her beady eye on us the whole time,' said Jane nodding his head to the house on the right. 'I reckon she knows something.'

'Do we have to?' whines Lisbon, but he is already gone. 'Come on Lisbon.'

As they walked down the driveway, Jane thrust his hands into his jacket pockets. 'There's something going on with Hannah Lombard.'

'Don't tell me you think she's pregnant still?' said Lisbon rolling her eyes as she opened the white gate and stepped into the garden full of roses.

'Hey, who knows what happens at those all catholic girls' boarding schools!' said Jane as he followed and the gate swung shut. 'Okay, maybe she's not pregnant, but the girl's hiding something.' He didn't get much further as Lisbon turned and stood in front of him. 'She's just lost her mother Jane,' she said seriously. 'She's hurting.'

'Hey hurting people can still tell lies,' protested Jane as he raised his hands into the air.

'Do you have a death wish?' asked Lisbon incredulously. 'You do realise that I carry a gun don't you?'

'I'm a rational man' – Lisbon snorts – 'and so I'll let that pass,' said Jane in an exaggerated forgiving tone.

'How magnanimous of you,' said Lisbon dryly as she turned away.

'Much,' responded Jane as he ever so briefly placed his hand on the small of her back and guided her up the path.

Mrs. Nadia Keoghan answered her front door promptly and was more than happy to speak with them. She held the door wide open and invited them in as she made a beeline for the kitchen. 'I have some scones just out of the oven and tea!'

Lisbon and Jane shared a look before her phone rang and she stepped to the side to answer it. She waved her hand at Jane for him to go into the kitchen and speak with the elderly lady as she spoke into the phone. 'Yes Cho?'

Seated on the overstuffed couch covered with crocheted cushions, Jane took a sip from his dainty tea set as his eyes sought out Lisbon's form talking in the corner. So intent was he at looking at her, that he missed what Mrs. Keoghan said. 'Sorry?' he said, switching on the charm as he placed the teacup back on its saucer and turned his full attention to the elderly woman. 'You were saying?'

'I was just saying that it must be such a relief for a woman like Agent Lisbon to have a man like you around,' she said solemnly, before she leaned in to whisper. 'Police work is such a dangerous business for a woman. She must be glad to have you around to protect her.'

Jane can't stop the laugh from escaping. Pulling himself under control, he responded with amusement. 'She's the one with the gun!' he said before he leaned in closer, much to the older lady's delight. 'And trust me, she wears the pants in this relationship.'

When Lisbon enters the lounge room just seconds later, she spots Jane and Mrs. Keoghan deep in conversation close together, a conversation that stops the instant she makes her presence known. Exchanging a wordless glance with Jane – to which she received a shrug in response – she took the seat next to him, declined the offer of tea and pulled out her notebook.

'Mrs Keoghan...'

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Next Chapter: Why is it that whenever she needed the bloody man, he was never there. But when she really didn't need him, he was everywhere?